Plymouth resident sees 'big, old black bear'

"I had no clue what to do. I just froze," she said.

Police checked the area but didn't see traces of the bear, said Plymouth Police Captain Bruce McNamee. But McKenna said she has no doubt that she saw one.

Plymouth authorities have turned over the investigation to state environmental police. There have not been any reported bear sightings since McKenna’s encounter on Tuesday.

"We are keeping an eye out for it," McNamee said.

Tuesday's report came days after four black bear sightings along Interstate 295 in North Attleborough. A bear was also spotted in Mansfield last week.

A wildlife biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife said last week that it is common for bears to wander into populated areas. "They're looking for food," said the biologist, James Cardoza.

Fourteen to 15 months after a male bear cub is born, he leaves his mother and journeys in search of a new home, Cardoza said. While most travel between 20 and 50 miles, they occasionally travel farther.

While the state's bear population has grown in the past 30 years, mainly in central Massachusetts, Cardoza said it is unusual to see bears in the southeastern part of the state.
But he expects that such sightings will increase as the bear population grows and young bears search for food and a home.

Globe correspondent Vivian Nereim contributed to this report.